‘Cat people’ love taking photos of their feline friends, so if you’ve ever thought about turning this into a profitable photography business, the story of Amanda Glasspell is very inspiring.
Amanda did a degree in photography but it proved hard to find her niche, so she went on to earn a living as a professional Photoshop retoucher and editor, working with a roster of high-profile clients, including Amazon.
When her beloved cat Toki died in 2023, however, it spurred her on to launch a cat photography business in 2024 – and she’s not looked back since. Indeed, Amanda recently received a ‘Small Business Sunday’ award from TV personality and entrepreneur Theo Paphitis of Dragon’s Den fame.
‘It’s been really nice to be able to use my skills as a photographer and retoucher with cats, a subject I am passionate about!,’ Amanda explains from her base in the north west of England.
Putting shy cats at ease
Amanda, who is profoundly deaf, specialises in working with shy and nervous cats, visiting them in their homes rather than making them travel to a studio. ‘Toki was a shy cat and nervous around other people, so I understand them.
When I visit other shy cats in their home, there is plenty of time for them to get used to me, and they get reassurance from seeing me talking to their owners. Eventually the cats come to me – my clients are amazed how their cats come out of their shell.’
Owners definitely appreciate Amanda’s unobtrusive cat-friendly approach, with minimal props and disturbance all-round. ‘Cats are not like dogs and don’t like lots of change and noise, so putting one in a cat carrier and taking them to a studio can upset them. That said, I do work with ‘show’ cats who are more confident with people.’
Networking with other people in the ‘cat business,’ such as cat grooming salons, has been a useful way for Amanda to get work.
How to light cats nicely
Amanda also takes pictures of cats interacting with their owners, and being a Photoshop expert, has all the skills necessary for making her cat portraits really stand out or perfecting backgrounds. Camera wise, she favours a Canon R5 mirrorless camera with a range of lenses, along with just one or two lights, principally the Godox AD300.
‘Often the owners’ homes are not that big, so we can’t be having light stands and cables everywhere. I also use a silver softbox so I can get the fur nice and ‘crispy.’ It can take me a couple of hours to get to the cat (and owner) to relax and set everything up, but the effort is always worth it.
Cat photography is very rewarding and long term, I am particularly keen to take more pictures of black and black and white cats – which you don’t tend to see photographed that often.’
We wish Amanda every success with her venture; even if you are not planning to become a cat photographer yourself, we’re sure you’ll enjoy her ‘purr-fect cat photos!’ (all images credit: Amanda Glasspell/Krazy Katz Photography)
Amanda’s cat gallery
For more on Amanda, see her website and Instagram page.
Further reading
Tough street cats we photographed – you won’t believe the expressions of these cats!
Here are the absolute best cat photos you’ll see on the internet today
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